RELEASE: Manny Bates To Miss Remainder Of Season

RALEIGH, N.C. – NC State men’s basketball forward Manny Bates suffered a right shoulder dislocation in Tuesday’s season-opening win over Bucknell and will miss the rest of the season.

I’m just heartbroken,” NC State head coach Kevin Keatts said. “I’m heartbroken for Manny because he’s overcome so much to become the incredible player he is. He does everything the right way. He doesn’t take shortcuts. He’s a prime example of everything I want an NC State basketball player to be on and off the court. I know Manny has the work ethic and positive mental attitude to come back from this. I know he’ll come back stronger and I know Manny’s best basketball is still ahead of him.”

Bates suffered the injury less than one minute into the Pack’s 88-70 win over Bucknell on Tuesday. The Fayetteville, N.C., native had led the ACC in blocked shots in his freshman and sophomore campaigns and was aiming to become the first ACC player since Duke’s Shelden Williams to lead the ACC in blocked shots in three consecutive seasons (2004-06).

The redshirt junior, who was recently named in an anonymous poll of ACC players conducted by The Athletic as the hardest player to score against in the ACC, already ranks fourth in the NC State record book with 147 career blocks and is just three blocks away from moving into third place.

Bates is also rewriting the NC State record book on the offensive end. Bates set the single-season field goal percentage mark by shooting 64.1 percent from the field last season and he is just 35 field goals away from qualifying for the career list, where Bates 64.7 career shooting percentage would shatter the current record of 58.8 percent by Kevin Thompson (1990-93)